New Westminster police seek 3 suspects after stabbing at Columbia SkyTrain Station

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. -

One person has been taken to hospital after a stabbing at Columbia SkyTrain Station Monday night.

The violence caused significant delays for transit users into early Tuesday morning.

Officers from New Westminster and Metro Vancouver Transit Police were called to the station at approximately 11:00 p.m.

“When officers arrived, they located a victim suffering from an apparent stab wound,” wrote Const. Amanda Steed of Metro Vancouver Transit Police in an email to CTV News.

Steed says the victim was found on the platform with injuries to their abdomen.

The individual was provided with first aid and later transported to hospital.

Investigators believe two groups were involved in the altercation, which transit police say reportedly spilled onto the tracks.

“Three suspects then fled the SkyTrain station onto Columbia Street. The victim and suspects are not known to each other,” wrote Sgt. Andrew Leaver, of the NWPD, in a news release late Tuesday morning.

The attack is the latest incident contributing to what former B.C. public safety minister Kash Heed says is a dramatic rise in violence on transit.

“Public transit violence has increased all over North America, whether you’re on the transit system in Toronto – where several homicides have taken place not only in the stations but in and around the system – whether you’re on the Edmonton system or whether you're in the Bay Area around San Francisco,” said Heed, who is also the former chief of the West Vancouver Police Department.

Heed believes all of those transit systems have similar circumstances.

"With the drug problem, with the homelessness problem and certainly with the mental health issues, those are the people that are using these systems for their transportation,” said Heed.

He believes policing systems could be put in place to prevent similar situations, but says officials need to address what he calls a “root cause,” citing mental health issues.

“For example, in (Vancouver's) East Hastings (Street), these people need to go somewhere. They’re not all going to go in heat shelters or residences, they’re going to travel in Vancouver’s metro area by whatever system is easy for them to travel and that’s our transit system,” Heed said.

The NWPD Major Crimes Unit is now investigating the attack at Columbia Station, and the suspects remain at large.  

The first male suspect is believed to be between 18 and 20 years old, and is described as having an olive complexion and thin mustache. Police say he was wearing a black shoulder bag, black coloured beanie, grey hooded sweatshirt, burgundy colored jacket, blue jeans and black shoes at the time of the alleged attack.

The second male suspect is believed to be slightly younger, with an age range between 16 and 18 years old. He is described as having an olive complexion and short dark hair, and was last seen wearing dark jeans, a black hoody with a large white logo on the front, a man purse and dark boots, according to police.

The sole female suspect is believed to be between 16 and 18 years old. Police say at the time of the stabbing, she was wearing a black hoody with white writing on the front, a black jacket, black pants and white running shoes.

“This type of violence occurring in a public place is concerning, and our detectives are working diligently to bring the persons responsible to justice,” Leaver said in the statement.

The station was closed until shortly after 6:30 a.m.Tuesday, so trains did not stop there and riders were forced to board and disembark at alternate stations.

Investigators have not said what may have sparked the violence.

It’s unclear what condition the victim is in, but blood splatters could be seen on the floor of the station, surrounded by evidence markers.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call the Major Crime Unit at 604-529-2430 or send an email to [e-mail] and reference file number 23-5589.